The present invention is directed generally to microfilm recording machines and in particular to an improved transport mechanism for transporting documents through the scanning zone of rotary microfilm recording machines.
Rotary microfilm recording machines are well known. They find various applications, one appplication for example being in the banking environment for use in processing checks. During the processing of the checks, each check is photographed on both sides simultaneously onto a reel of microfilm which is then immediately processed or processed when a question concerning an individual check is encountered.
Such microfilm recording machines usually include a document input feed mechanism wherein the documents are fed into the machine, and a document exit where the documents are expelled and stacked. In between the document input feed mechanism and exit is a scanning zone wherein the checks are presented to a scanning photographic camera and associated mirrors to enable the camera to make a photographic reproduction of both sides of the check simultaneously. Inasmuch as the checks are fed into the machine at a relatively high rate, each check must be presented to the scanning zone in a controlled and efficient manner so that the checks do not become wedged or othewise jammed in the machine and additionally, so that each check is presented to the scanning zone within a focal plane of the camera to achieve high resolution.
For presenting the checks into the scanning zone, two basic types of transport systems have been utilized in the prior art. The first type of transport system includes a gap in between a pair of transport rollers, the gap providing unobstructed view of the check within the scanning zone. The second type of transport system is a two-glass flat document system wherein a pair of glass plates are interposed between a pair of transport rollers to provide a channel in which each check is transported through the scanning zone.
Transport systems of the first variety are generally deficient in maintaining adequate focal plane control of the documents, particularly on the leading and trailing edges. As a result, poorly focused images as well as image distortion is caused by the whip or flip of the document passing through the scanning zone area. The open gap arrangement is also deficient in controlling the flow of documents through the photographic area resulting in escessive document jamming and throw-out of the documents through the gap opening.
The transport systems of the second variety are also dificient in use because the glass plates must be spaced sufficiently apart to accomodate thicker or partially mutilated documents. As a result effective confinement of the comparatively thin documents in an optimum focal plane is impossible. This obviously results in poorly focused images as well as distorted images due to whip or flip of the documents in the scanning zone area. In addition, thick or partially mutilated documents can wedge between the pair of glass plates causing severe paper jams in the recording machine. Lastly, such systems display an inherent difficulty in keeping the glass plate photographically clean. Along this line, because there are four glass surfaces involved, normal atmospheric dust, smoke and haze tend to form on the surfaces of the glass plates tending to excessively deteriorate the photographic quality unless the glass plates are carefully and regularly cleaned by an operator.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved transport system for a microfilm recording machine which presents each document to the machine scanning zone within a predetermined focal plane.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a transport system for a microfilm recording machine which maintains positive control of the documents as they are transported through the machine scanning zone to avoid document mutilation and machine jamming.
The present invention provides a microfilm recording machine an improved document transport system for presenting each document in a predetermined focal plane within the scanning zone. The transport system comprises a glass plate within the scanning zone having a longitudinal major surface portion lying substantially with the predetermined focal plane and having a transverse axis extending forward from the longitudinal major surface. The transport system of the present invention additionally includes a pair of cooperating transport rollers between the glass plate and the document input feed mechanism rotatable about axes to transport a document from the input feed mechanism into the scanning zone, the rollers forming a nip to engage each document, the nip being forward of the major surface and the plane embracing the axes of rotation converging upon the transverse axis. As a result, each document transported through the nip of the transport rollers is directed toward and against the longitudinal major surface of the glass plate as it is transported through the scanning zone to assure that each document is presented to the scanning zone substantially within the predetermined focal plane.